


Ground Control

by Sebastanbucky



Series: Sickfics [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Bucky Barnes, Sick Bucky Barnes, Sickfic, Vomiting, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:55:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastanbucky/pseuds/Sebastanbucky
Summary: If it were up to Bucky, they would drive everywhere. Heck, they can take a train, boat, a fricking bicycle for all Bucky cares.Just anything but plains.But sadly, S.H.I.E.L.D loves their fancy aircrafts.--Bucky gets montion sickness on the way to a mission.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Sickfics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142609
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Ground Control

**Author's Note:**

> I stayed up writing this long after I was supposed to go to bed. You're welcome.
> 
> Wrote this because i have emetophobia and love triggering my own anxiety.
> 
> Title from Ground Control by All Time Low

Motion sickness was never something Bucky had to deal with back before the war. But they didn’t fly anywhere, so that would probably be why. 

If it were up to Bucky, they would drive everywhere. Heck, they can take a train, boat, a fricking bicycle for all Bucky cares. Just anything but plains. But sadly, S.H.I.E.L.D loves their fancy aircrafts. On second thought, maybe a train wouldn’t be the best idea either. 

He can’t blame them for not knowing that even HYDRA would avoid putting on a plain, it’s not as if his files were transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D, like when you switch therapists. 

Still, you can’t really blame him for the way his heart stops for a moment when he sees the Quinjet waiting for them to go somewhere Bucky can’t pronounce for a mission. He doesn’t notice that he’s standing still, staring at the aircraft before Steve stops next to him. 

“You okay?” Damn Steve for knowing Bucky so well. 

“Yeah.” He tries to lie.

“You’re not scared of flying?” Bucky can’t see Steve, but he can feel the concern coming of him in waves. 

“Wouldn’t know, only times I’ve flown I was brainwashed.” That didn’t stop me from being violently ill though. He thinks. He sounds calmer than he feels, and Steve lets it go. Bucky isn’t sure if he’s relieved or wish Steve would’ve pushed him to tell the truth. 

Maybe I won’t have to get on if Steve knew.

The thought stabs at the anxiety in his stomach and he blurts out Steve’s name before he can stop himself. Steve, who had walked a few feet closer to the Quinjet turns around and comes back to Bucky as if he expected this to happen. Maybe he hadn’t let it go after all. 

“Yeah?” 

“HYDRA only put me on a plain when they had no other choice. I tended to puke everywhere.” It’s embarrassing to admit it, even though the thought of those HYDRA assholes having to clean it up was a little satisfying. 

“Aha.” Steve stops to think for a moment, “This is one of the fancy Quinjets with a living area, sleeping area and kitchen in them. How about you take one of the beds and sleep through the trip? Would that work?” The thought calms Bucky a little. He never got to sleep when HYDRA flew him somewhere, maybe that could work. 

“I thought all Quinjets were fancy?” 

“So this is a fancy fancy Quinjet.” Steve smirks and brings Bucky in for a hug. “You’ll be fine.”

“You’ll stay with me?” Bucky asks, his face buried in Steve’s shoulder. 

“I’ll stay with you the whole time.” He pulls back to give Bucky a kiss. “Even if you puke everywhere.”

\---

Luckily, Bucky was a little tired, so he was able to go to sleep before the Quinjet did any movement of any sort. Him and Steve are the only ones in the sleeping area, the others scattered throughout the rest of the jet. Unluckily, this is a mission that requires all of the Avengers, even though it’s supposed to be quick, so everyone is there if this plan doesn’t work out.

When he wakes up Steve is still in the spot he was in when Bucky went to sleep, sitting beside him on the single bed. It’s a tight squeeze, but Bucky needed him close. 

“Are we there?” He’s desperate for the answer to be yes. The sleeping didn’t stop him getting nauseous, instead he got to wake up from the summersaults his stomach was taking. 

“We’re about halfway there. You can go back to sleep.” Halfway there? That still means they have three hours left. Needing the comfort, he moves so his head is resting in Steve’s lap, facing his stomach. Steve takes the hint and starts playing with Bucky’s hair. It relaxes him a little, so Bucky decides to ignore his stomach and try to go back to sleep. 

He can’t sleep, and the rolling in his stomach won’t be ignored. Every time he forgets for a moment it comes back with a vengeance. 

Maybe he feels sick because that’s what he expected? It would make sense for it to be trauma induced after his experiences with HYDRA. All he has to do is tell himself it will be fine, that he is fine, and if this is all in his head it will go away. 

Focusing on it only intensifies the feeling, so after a few minutes he gives up. Definitely not all in my head.

“I have to get out of this uniform.” It feels too tight and warm on his skin. Steve helps him slip off the tight black clothing until he’s left in a t-shirt and boxers. Steve leaves for a moment and come back with a pair of sweatpants. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks as he slides the sweatpants up Bucky’s legs.

“Sick.” He mumbles as Steve repositions himself under Bucky’s head. He needs to focus on something else. “Distract me.”

“Okay, um… Did you know the history books say we were just very close friends who lived together and slept in the same bed, even though there is no way they don’t know the truth?” 

“What? That’s nonsense. We did everything but kiss in public.” They have talked about this before, but it still work a little. 

“I know, right? I don’t see how anyone can look at all we’ve done for each-other and say ‘that’s great friendship’, as if we weren’t fucking behind closed doors.” Did Steve really just say that? Steve must be thinking the same thing, a moment later they both burst out laughing. 

The laughing does not help his stomach. Bucky stops mid-laughter and cover his mouth, as if that will do anything if his stomach decides to expel its contents. “I’m so fucking nauseous.” 

“Do you feel like you’re gonna be sick?” The concern is back in Steve’s voice. 

“Not yet, soon. I don’t know.” Just drop me out of the back door, at least I won’t feel so sick anymore.

“Let me know if you want to move to the bathroom.” 

“This thing has a bathroom too?” 

Steve chuckles, it jostles Bucky’s stomach. “Did you expect people to live here without a bathroom?” 

“No…” He hadn’t thought of that. Of course this fancy fancy Quinjet is used as a make-shift home when they have to be gone for longer periods of time, unlike the quick in-and-out mission they’re going on today. That’s why it has everything you need in a home.

“Help me sit up.” Bucky says when laying down feels less relaxing and more like his stomach is in his throat. Steve very carefully pulls Bucky up, but it still upsets his stomach more. He leans on Steve’s shoulder and clenches his jaw until the wave of nausea passes. 

Bucky has no concept of time as they sit in silence. His waves of nausea turning into constant intense nausea. 

“How close are we now?” Bucky asks, knowing he hasn’t got long left and desperately wanting to be on solid ground. 

“Two hours. How are you doing?” The loss of hope in that moment is what sends him over the edge. There’s no way he can wait two more hours.

“I’m going to throw up.” Steve deserves a prize for how quickly he gets them both up and into the nearest bathroom. 

Bucky sits down in front of the toilet and braces himself for what comes next. There’s still some part of him that fights to hold it back. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to stop if he starts. 

“You have to let it out Buck.” Steve strokes his back comfortingly, but it’s not comforting.

“Please don’t touch me right now” Bucky gets out through clenched teeth. There’s too much going on in his body, and Steve touching him overwhelms his senses.

“You want me to leave?” At Steve’s words panic adds to the nausea.

“No! Just-” He cuts himself off with the first heave. Nothing comes up. “Stay.” He hears Steve settle down somewhere behind him. He retches again, still nothing. “Fuck!” 

“Relax.” Steve says soothingly. Bucky takes a deep breath and relaxes and much as he can. He feels his body take a deep breath, out of his control. Here we go. He barely has time to think before half-digested food comes out of him. He retches again and again, making some impressive noises he prays to god the other Avengers are far enough away not to hear. He barely has time to breath between them. Fuck, I’m getting it in my hair. Why didn’t he tie it back?

He reaches out a hand in Steve’s general direction, now seeking his touch. Steve is immediately behind him, stroking his back and pulling back his hear. “You’re okay.” Steve pulls the hair tie off Bucky’s wrist and somehow manages to put up his hair while Bucky is moving his head up and down for every retch. “It’ll be over soon.” 

It doesn’t feel like it will end soon, Bucky thinks. The bile burns his throat, bringing tears to his eyes, and he’s pretty sure some came out of his nose. 

Finally, it seems to slow down, as his next retch produces less. Then a dry heave.

“There we go. Breathe.” Steve has one arm around Bucky’s chest to hold him up. 

There’s a knock on the door. Bucky feels his cheeks heat up as he dry heaves again. Someone definitely heard. Maybe they’ve all been listening in on his performance in the last ten minutes. 

“Are you okay?” Someone calls from outside the door, Tasha. Bucky nods to let Steve know it’s okay, and a moment later the warmth of his body disappears. He hears Steve open the door and step outside. 

“Is he okay?”

“Can you bring some stuff? I think the worst part is over for now.”

“I’ll be right back.” Steve comes back inside and flushes the toilet. Bucky is still caching his breath, but he’s done for now. Steve helps him move over to the wall and lets him cuddle up to his side. 

Natasha knocks again, she lets herself in and leans down in front of Bucky. He looks at her with empty eyes. 

“Don’t worry, the others are on the other side of the plain. Steve texted me.” She knows him so well. If he had the energy to, he would be relieved that the others don’t know. He doesn’t completely trust them yet. 

Tasha sets to work wetting two wash cloths she brought, using one to wipe Bucky’s mouth and the other to put over his forehead. He doesn’t have a fever, but he still closes his eyes at the cool feeling of it. She hands Steve the other cloth and Steve uses it to try to get as much as he can out of Bucky’s hair. She holds a bottle of cool water to his lips, instructing him to take small sips. 

“You want to try going back to sleep?” Steve asks, noticing that Bucky is half asleep. Bucky just nods, too tired to talk. His stomach feels better for the moment, but he knows they still have a while left on the Quinjet so he should try to get some sleep before the next round.  
Steve and Tasha help him stand up and support him as they walk back to the bed. 

“Tasha.” Bucky reaches out for her as she turns to leave. He’s back on the bed, using Steve’s lap as a pillow. She smiles and gets on the bed, using her lap to pillow his feet. 

\---

When Bucky wakes up, he is surprised that he was able to sleep. He reaches out for Steve before he’s even opened his eyes, but he’s not there. 

“He’s just gone to talk to the others. He’ll be right back.” 

“Tasha?” His stomach is doing some great flips again. “How long are we going to be trapped in this metal box?” Please be close to over. 

“About forty-five minutes.” Once again, hope disappears. There’s no way he’ll make it that long. He starts getting fidgety as shivers leave him sweaty and cold at the same time. 

“Steve?” He needs Steve now. Spit pools in his mouth. He looks desperately at Tasha. 

“I’ll text him when we get to the bathroom, ok?” She says as she helps him up. He’s still weak from earlier. All he can think as they walk to the bathroom is ‘won’t make it, won’t make it, won’t make it’. He can feel it at the back of his throat. It amazes him how much faster he got to this point this time. 

They make it to the toilet just in time. Bucky is throwing up before he’s even sat down. Tasha lowers him down while simultaneously holding him up, scared he can’t hold himself up. He can hardly believe how much his stomach is able to expel after last time. 

At some point he distantly notices Tasha’s arms being replaces with Steve’s. “Hey, you’re okay. I’m here now.” 

Thankfully, it’s not as long before he starts dry heaving this time, and soon they’re sitting back against the wall. 

“Where’s Tasha?” Bucky asks when he realizes she must have left at some point. 

“She had to go get ready, we’re landing soon.” He feels no relief that he’ll be on solid ground soon, only panic. How am I supposed to be useful in this condition? He starts trying to get up, but only work himself up again and ends up hugging the toilet.

When he’s done dry heaving again, Steve puts the cool washcloth back on his forehead. 

“Don’t worry. I already talked to the others. There’s no way you’re going to be able to complete this mission without passing out or puking, or both, and I’m not leaving you.” 

Bucky takes a few sips of the water as he leans back into Steve. 

Suddenly he can feel the Quinjet lowering to the ground. If it wasn’t for the fact that they would be on solid ground very soon, the water would be making a reappearance. Bucky holds on for dear life as the jet moves in all sorts of uncomfortable ways. Finally, there’s a jolt, and then the movement stop. Bucky has his eyes squeezed shut and a hand clamped over his mouth. 

“You ready to get out of here?” Bucky signals for Steve to give him a minute as his stomach settles again. 

“Let’s go.” He says when he is certain only words will come out. 

They take it slow; Bucky has to focus on one step at a time. He feels like he could fall over at any moment. 

The fresh air feels amazing on Bucky’s clammy skin. They landed in a beautiful field just outside of the town the mission is in, Bucky can’t even remember where they are anymore. 

He sits down in the middle of the field and keeps taking small sips of the water that’s not as cold anymore. He still feels ill, but the fresh air and solid ground helps. This gives enough space for him to think about something he had been avoiding thinking about. How the hell am I gonna get home? He feels like puking again at the thought.

“Steve?” Steve sits down next to him and Bucky automatically rests his head on his shoulder.

“Hm? Do you still feel ill?” 

“No, just- How are we gonna do that again?” 

“Don’t worry. Bruce has some super strength sleeping pills that will knock even you out until we get back.” Bucky sighs with relief. Thank God he won’t have to do that again.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you liked it and would be interested in more like it.
> 
> I take Stucky requests!


End file.
